OTTAWA – In the House of Commons on November 20th, John Rafferty the MP for Thunder Bay Rainy River was up during Question Period. Rafferty was seeking information from Minister Tony Clement on the Port of Thunder Bay and cuts to jobs at the Canadian Grain Commission.
Here is the exchange from the Hansard:
Mr. John Rafferty (Thunder Bay—Rainy River, NDP): Mr. Speaker, with a storage capacity of 1.2 million tonnes, Thunder Bay is North America’s largest grain port, contributing over $28 million a year in federal taxes. Yet the government wants to jeopardize this world-renowned asset by cutting hundreds of jobs at the Canadian Grain Commission. These cuts will be added to Conservative firings at Veterans Affairs, the coast guard, the military, Service Canada, the CRA and Citizenship and Immigration in Thunder Bay.
Why are Conservatives bleeding services in Thunder Bay? Why are they destroying the economic link between the Prairies and central Canada?
Hon. Tony Clement (President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, CPC): Mr. Speaker, we are on track when it comes to making sure that government spends within its means. We are doing so because that creates jobs and opportunity in the private sector, including in northern Ontario.
We have a great record in Thunder Bay and the surrounding region. FedNor and other federal agencies have been working with local proponents to create new jobs and new opportunities and research in the mining sector and other natural resource sectors, including forestry. We are proud of our record in Thunder Bay. We will continue to work with local officials to make sure that we get more jobs and opportunity there.
